Striping device



Sept. 25, 1934. F. J. ROSS STRIPING DEVICE Filed April 8, 1929 2 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR ATTORNEYS Sept. 25,1934. 5 J Ross STRIPING DEVICE Filed April 8, 1929 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR w 8 m m a 2 J 5 x r. M A W 3 40 stantially on the line 1 45 tially on the line Patented Sept. 25, 1934 U ITED STATES. PATENT OFFICE 1,974,587 STRIPING DEVICE Frank J. Ross, Detroit, Mich. Application April 8,1929, Serial No. 353,363

4 Claims. (01. ill-62.6)

"This invention relatesto striping devices for applying one narrow or broad stripe, or a plurality of stripes of various widths, upon any desired surface. A

One of the objects of this invention is the provision ofa striping device having a positive feed for supplying paintsylacquers, etc. to a single or aplurality of nozzles. 1

Another object of this invention is the ar- -"IB rangement of a striping device having wheels for positively feeding the paint, lacquer, etc., and also utilized in the guiding of the striping devices along the surfaces to be striped, such wheels preferably being adjustable to various distances from each other.

A further object of this invention is the provision in a stripingdevice of a plurality of resilient nozzles adjacent each other and adapted to-ride upon; the surfaces to be striped, with 80 means for guiding and limiting the movement offthe nozzles. i

A further object of this'i'nvention is the arrangernent of i an equalizing chamber between a single feed mechanism and a plurality'of nozzles whereby paint, lacquer, etc. is fed evenly through the several nozzles.

Other objects and advantages will be apparent from the following description, wherein reference is made to the accompanying drawings illustrating a preferred embodiment of my invention and wherein similar reference numerals designate similar-parts throughoutthe several views. Inthe drawings:

2135 Figure l is aside elevation, withparts broken away, of; a striping device constructed in accordance with my invention, l Figure 2 'is 'a front elevationther'eof. v Figure 3 is a central'vertical view taken sub- 3-3 of Figure 1. Figure4' is a side elevation of the" striping device with one wheel and a removable side plate removed. V

Figure 5 isavertical section taken substan- 5--5 of Figure 3. Figure dis a horizontal section taken substantially on the line 6--6 ofFigure 4, but with one of the wheels-reversed iromits position as shown fin Figured to illustrate an adjustment changing the di'stances between the treads of the wheels. g j I i Figure lis a detail elevation of the body portionof' the-striping device. 1

Figure 8*is' a detail elevation of the tip of a nozzle formed to make a narrowstripe, and

Figure 9 is a similar view of a nozzle tip formed to make a relatively wide stripe and one that would blend'with a stripe formed by a similar adjacent nozzle to form a stripe of substantially double the width of that formed by the nozzle 69 shown.

- Referring now tothe drawings, the numeral 5 designates the body portion of my improved striping device having in its upper extremity a tapped aperture 6 for the reception of the lower extremity of a hollow tube 7 connected at its opposite extremity with -a reservoir of paint,lacquer, varnish, or other suitable liquids of any desired color. The tube 7 is preferably flexible and of suitable length to permit the movement of my striping device over the entire surface to be striped. An example of the use of my improved striping device, wherein it has demonstrated its utility, is in striping the beads of automobile bodies with a quick drying lacquer, such as issold under various trade names and in various colors. This striping operation is considered a difficult one among body finishers, and it is illustrated and described herein by way of example, the bead 8 being raised above the surrounding surface 9 of the automobile body and being straddled by the wheels 10 of the striping-device during the striping operation. The body portion of the striping device 5 is best shown in Figure 7 and is provided with a pair of apertures 11 and 12 as well as with a machined portion for a pair of gears 13 and 14 operating as a gearpump to feed the liquid from the reservoir to the striping nozzles. The aperture 11 leads from the lower extremity of the hollow tube 7 to a point adjacent, but laterally spaced from, the intersection of the gears 13 and 14, and the lower extremity thereof is connected with a substantially horizontal aperture ll opening into the inner wall of the enclosure for the gears 13 and 14. Theaperture l2 is arranged between the lower face of the body portion 5 and extends to a point adjacent but laterally removed from the intersection of the gears 13 and 14 where it is connected by a substantially horizontally extending aperture 12 with the enclosure for the gears 13 and 14. The

lower extremity'ofithe aperture 12 is tapped to receive a closure plug 15 (note Figure 5). An aperture 16 extends from the front face of the bodyportion 5 into the aperture 12, and is formed at its outer extremity" with an enlarged tapped portion for the reception of a, nut 1'? by means of which a-nozzle supply pipe 18 is secured with 'one of its extremities snugly fittinginto the reduced portion of the aperture 16, and-whereby a stuiiing or packing member 19 is squeezed into the space at the inner extremity of the enlarged aperture of the conduit 16. The gear 13 is pinned or otherwise fixed upon the shaft 20 extending laterally through the body portion 5 and a removable side plate 21 suitably secured onto the body portion, as by screws 22, and forming the outer wall for the enclosure in which the gears 13 and 14 operate. On the outer extremities of the shaft 20 are mounted the wheels 1i) whereby the rotation of the wheels 10 will serve to rotate the shaft 20 and the gear wheel 13, which, as above stated, meshes with the gear 14 mounted on a stub shaft 23 journaled in a suitable aperture in the removable side plate 21. The gears 13 and 14 are preferably arranged with flat sides machined to fit closely against the machined inner surface of the side plate 21 on one side and against the machined surface of the washer 24 at their other sides, the washer 24 extending above the intersecting teeth of the gears, substantially as shown in Figures 3 and 6. The sides of the aperture for the shaft 28 in the body portion 5 are closed by packing members 25 pressed against the shaft by shouldered bushings 26 arranged between the body portion 5 and the wheels 10, and adapted to be moved toward the body portion by adjustment of securing nuts 26' fitting over the threaded extremities 20 of the shaft 20. The wheels are preferably formed with short radial slots for the reception of keys 27 whereby they must turn with the shaft 20 (note Figure 3).

The above described mechanism will serve to positively feed paint, lacquer, etc. from a reservoir to the nozzle supply pipe 18 whenever the wheels 10 are rotated, as in moving the striping device along the bead 8. The rotation of the wheels 10 and thus the shaft 20 will turn the gear 13 afiixed thereto, which in turn will rotate the intermeshing gear 14 to act as a gear pump for transferring the paint, lacquer, etc. from the conduit 11 around the gear 14 and to the lower conduit 12, which opens into the inner extremity of the conduit 16 with which the nozzle supply pipe 18 is connected. The speed of rotation of the gear pump is dependent upon the speed of ro-tation of the wheels 10, and accordingly, a positive feed is secured automatically varying in accordance with the demand for supplying liquid to the nozzle supply pipe 18.

The lower extremity of the nozzle supply pipe 18 opens into the upper wall of an equalizer chamber 28, and extending from the lower wall of such equalizer chamber are any desired number of hollow resilient tubes 29 forming the nozzlesthrough which the liquid is supplied to and distributed upon the surface to be striped. The nozzles .29 may be of any desired diameter and their free extremities or tips maybe shaped as desired, as for example of substantially the same diameter as the remainder of the nozzles, as shown in Figure 1, pointed to make a very narrow stripe such as a pin stripe, as shown in Figure 8, or

flared outwardly to form a comparatively wide slot, as shown in Figure 9. The resilient nozzles 29 may be placed in parallel spaced relation with any desired distances between adjacent nozzles, and for purposes of exemplification, only two nozzles 29 are shown in the illustrated embodiment (Figure 2) though a greater number of slots 30 preferably adjustably mounted upon the lower surface of the body portion5 and the upper walls of the slots 30 therein serve to limit the movement of the resilient nozzles inwardly toward the body portion of the striping device during the striping operation. The nozzles 29 are formed of resilient material and are preferably curved substantially as shown to enable a ready bending movement of the nozzles without loosening their means of secural to the equalizer chamber 28. In addition, a leaf spring 32 may be suitably arranged to normally press the nozzles 29 outwardly or away from the body portion 5.

In use, the tips of the nozzles 29 are placed into "contact with the bead 8, or other surface to be striped, and the wheels 10 suitably spaced from each other to provide a ready means of guiding the nozzles 29 during their striping action by engagement of one or both wheels with the side or sides of the bead 8. The treads of the wheels 10 are then pressed into engagement with the automobile body 9 adjacent the bead 8, flexing the nozzles 29 and putting them under tension. Then as the striping device is moved longitudinally of the bead 8, the wheels 10 rotate and drive the gear pump to feed the liquid paint, lacquer, etc. through the supply pipe 18 into the equalizer chamber 28, whence it flows through the hollow nozzles-29 and is deposited by the tips of the nozzles onto the bead 8. Obviously, a single stripe may be secured by utilizing a single nozzle, and such stripe may be of different widths by appropriately choosing a nozzle having a tip with an aperture therein of the desired width, and two or more nozzles may be utilized in forming a wide stripe by placing the sides of their tips in proximity to each other to enable the blending of the liquid fed through the nozzles into a single stripe. Usually nozzles having outwardly flared tips are utilized in forming such relatively wide stripes and the liquid fed therethrough is slightly thinner to enable the ready flow of the liquid to blend the stripes made by the nozzles into each other.

When it is desired to change from say two nozzles, as shown in Figure 2, to a different number of nozzles, I prefer to remove the supply pipe 18 and equalizer chamber 28 to which the pair of nozzles 29 are secured, and replace it with another supply pipe and equalizer having the different number of nozzles secured thereon. Such change may be readily made by removing the nut .17 and withdrawing the supply pipe 18, and the new supply 18 is then secured onto the body portion 5 in substantially the manner shown in Figure 5.

Various means may be employed for changing the distances between the treads of the wheels 10 as desired. In the illustrated embodiment I have shown a pair of wheels 10 having their tread portions laterally offset from their central portions to enable changes in distances between the treads by merely reversing the positions of one or both wheels (note Figures 3 and 6). However, it is also intended to utilize a separable guiding device in conjunction with my improved striping device whenever desired, and many of the adjustable gauge types of guiding devices now on the market may be utilized for guiding my improved striping device while performing other striping operations than that illustrated and described herein.

While it will be apparent that the illustrated embodiment of my invention herein disclosed is well calculated to adequately fulfill the objects and advantages primarily stated, it is to be understood that the invention is susceptible to variation, modification and change within the spirit and scope of the subjoined claims.

Having described my invention, what I claim 1. In a striping device having an equalizer chamber, means for pumping liquid to the chamber as the striping device is moved along the surface being striped, and a plurality of curved resilient tubular nozzles extending from the equalizerchamber beneath the striping device into position to engage the surface to be striped, said nozzles being arranged to be flexed toward and from the striping device by engagement with the surface being striped.

2. In a striping device having a body portion containing a pump, an equalizer chamber arranged to be kept full of liquid from said pump while the device is being moved over the surface to be striped, and a plurality of resilient tubular nozzles carried by the equalizer chamber and arranged whereby the tips of the nozzles will constantly engage the surfaces being striped despite irregularities in said surface, and means for guiding the nozzles during flexing movements toward zles formed of resilient metallic tubes and con-. nected at their rear extremities with the equalizer chamber, said nozzles being arranged with their free extremities in juxtaposition, for delivering liquid in a plurality of streams to the surfaces being striped to thereby form-a single stripe on such surface.

FRANK J. ROSS. 

